Fractionating equipment



M'wch El ilg f, A. M. SHQRESMAN 3 9 FRACTIQNATING EQUIPMENT Original Filed Dec. 28, 1939 Patented Mar. 14, 1944' 2,344,329

FBACTIONATING EQUIPMENT Allen M. Shoresman, Chicago, 111., assignor' Universal Oil Products Company, Chicago, Ill, a-oorporation of Delaware Substituted for application Serial No. 311,310, De-

ccmber 28, 1939'. This application February 28, 1942, Serial No. 432,747

3 Claims. (CL 261-114) This application is a substitute {or my copendlng application Serial N0.'311,310, filed December 28, 1939.

The invention relates to an improvement in' iractionating columns oi the bubble type and particularly to improved means for securing the bubble caps of such iractionating columns in place. v

Bubble type fractionating column are now commonly employed in the distilling art and their various conventional forms are familiar to those conversant with the art.

This invention provides means of attaching bubble caps to the deck or tray of a iractionati column whichobviates restriction oi-the flow oi vapors through the vapor riser and cap and thus permits higher capacity or higher'iractionating etliciency, as compared with fractionating columns oi the same size designed in a conventional manner. The attaching mean -provided also permits ready removal of the bubble caps from the tray or deck.

'ble caps and which enga e the lower portion of thecaps to secure them in place. H

The accompanying drawing diagrammatically illustrates several forms of the mean provided by the invention for detachably securing a bubble cap to th tray or deck oi a i'ractionating column.

Figure 1 of the drawing is an elevational view, shown partially in section of a bubble cap and vapor riser and an adjacent portion the deck,

wherein the cap is secured to the deck in the manner provided by the invention.

the tray. Thus, intimate contact is obtained between the ascending vapors and the descending refluxing liquid and condensate on the bubble trays.

A plurality of attaching lugs to isprovided about the vapor riser ll, three such lugs spaced 120 degrees apart being employed in the case illustrated ior each riser Three teeth spaced 120 degrees apart. about the periphery of the bubble cap are each provided with slots or openings ll into which the protruding upper shoulders It of the lugs to project when the bubble cap is forced down between the lugs, thus locking the cap in place. A shoulder or stop It is provided at the base of each of the lugs against which the cap rests to space the teeth irom the upper surface 0! the deck.

with anchoring lugs of the type illustrated in Figures 1 and 2, the bubble cap I! is preferably pressedor stamped from a sheet of steel,

this type of deck, the lugs and risers may be welded or bolted to a deck formed irom a. steel plate or sheet of ingot iron or other suitable metal. This latter construction is illustrated in fFlgure 3 wherein deck l0 replaces deck i0, riser Figure 2 is a sectional plan view of the apparatus illustrated in Figure 1 taken along line 2-2;

in Figure l. v

Figure 3 is a fragmentary elevational view, h wn. in section, illustrating apparatus similar to that shown in Figure l, but with a modified form of attaching lug for the bubble cap.

Referring now to Figures 1 and 2, the bubble deck or tray to is provided with a plurality of spaced vapor risers, one of which is indicated at li.- A bubble can. such as indicated at i2, is provided over each of the risers ll.

The lower portion or skirt of the bubble cap comprises teeth to and vapors rising through the iractionating column pass from the vapor riser through the interior of the cap and through the slots or serrations provided between teeth 05 ll replaces riser II and lugs it replaces lug It, the bubble cap l2 being the same as in Figure 1. Riser II' is welded to deck ID, as indicated-at 20, and lug it, which is otherwise similar to lug i6, is provided with a projecting base 2! having a bolt hole through which bolt 22 exto bubble through a pool of liquid maintained on w fere with the flow of vap through the riser or through the bubble cap and which permit ready detachment of the cap, other than the specific iorms here used as illustrations, will be apparent to a skilled mechanic in view of the teachings of the invention and it is,. therefore, not intended to limit the invention in its broader aspects to the specific form of attaching means illustrated.

Although I have mentioned only metallic bubble caps and decks in the foregoing specification, the features of the invention may be advantageously applied to non-metallic caps and/ or decks composed, for example, of ceramic material, such as tile, porcelain, pottery or other materials of lower structural strength than metal. Due to their comparative fragility, bubble caps and decks of such material cannot be secured together in the conventional manner without the danger of breakage but, by employing anchoring means such as provided by the invention, can be safely employed where their use is otherwise desirable.

I claim as my invention:

1. In combination with a deck or tray of a i'ractionator having a plurality of spaced vapor risers, a removable bubble cap disposed over each or said risers, -said bubble caps each having a. skirt portion provided with spaced openings, and

spaced lugs on said deck having projecting portions constructed and arranged to be inserted in said openings for retaining the caps in place on the deck.

2. In combination wiith a deck or tray of a fractionator having a plurality of spaced vapor risers, a removable bubble cap disposed over each of said risers,' said bubble caps each having a skirt portion comprising spaced downwardly extending resilient prongs or teeth some of which are provided with openings therein, and spaced lugs on said deck having projecting portions so constructed and arranged that when the cap is forced downward between the lugs, said resilient prongs or teeth having said openings will spring into engagement with the lugs to retain the cap in place on thedeck.

3. In combination with a bubble deck having a vapor riser, a bubble cap disposed over said riser and lugs on the deck at spaced points about the riseigthe cap being provided at spaced points about its periphery with resilient prongs having openings into which projecting portions of said lugs extend. 1

ALLEN M. SHORESMAN. 

